F4 Academy: Hot and cold for De Gerus, first win for Spenle

This Saturday was eventful in the French F4 Championship at Magny-Cours. De Gerus scored another success in Race 1, but dropped out in the second, which was brilliantly won by Spenle, the 10th winner of this exciting 2019 season.

The latest edition of the French F4 Championship continues to reveal the young hopes of motorsport. This is another proof of the quality of the competition masterfully managed by the FFSA Academy, which continues its role of training and detection by placing every driver on an equal footing. Although the duel for the title remains undecided between Hadrien David and Reshad De Gerus, there are numerous drivers to be noticed at each event. Since the first race at Nogaro in April, no less than 10 drivers have managed to climb on the top step of the podium. Evan Spenle is now on this list …

De Gerus majestic in Race 1

Starting from pole position remains an undeniable advantage in motorsport and Reshad De Gerus demonstrated it by winning Race 1. Hadrien David tried to reverse the trend, before playing it safe. “I had a good start, but quickly Hadrien tried to pass me,” said Reshad. “I managed to resist and I saw in my mirrors that Jules Mettetal had overtaken. I took the opportunity to attack in order to widen the gap and it paid off.” His fastest lap in the race once again demonstrated the high performance level of the Reunion driver at Magny-Cours.

Once he cleared Mettetal, David could only secure 2nd place against the fast pace of his rival, but scored important points in the Championship. For his part, Jules Mettetal seemed to have been safe to celebrate his first podium of the season, before receiving a penalty for a small mistake. Solid in 4th since the start, the American Nicky Hays did not miss the opportunity to complete the podium in front of Victor Bernier. Having beaten the Belgian Sten Van der Henst on the first lap, Victor passed Gillian Henrion to take the points for 4th place and the victory in Junior at the same time.

For his first race in France, the Japanese driver Kakunoshin Ota resisted an insistent Isack Hadjar for 7th place. The misfortunes of Mettetal were to the benefit of Evan Spenle, who snatched 10th place behind Hugo Valente, synonymous with pole position for Race 2 due to the principle of the reverse grid for the top 10.

Spenle shines as winner, while the pack puts on a show

Race 2 only confirmed the extremely small gaps between the drivers entered in the French F4 Championship and their determination. This resulted in intense and constant duels at all levels, especially for 3rd place. At the forefront, Evan Spenle managed the situation. “Starting from pole position, the goal was clearly to win Race 2. Once in the lead after the start, I remained very focused on not make mistakes. Behind me, the Japanese Ota also had a good pace, but taking the lead early in the race allowed me to easily manage until the end. I’ve had a lot of disappointments since the beginning of the season and it’s very satisfying to finally win.”

By finishing 2nd with the fastest lap, Ota achieved a significant performance for this French F4 race with the FFSA Academy. Behind him, Hugo Valente had a hard time containing the pack. Gillian Henrion and Isack Hadjar put pressure on him in turn, but without finding an opening, while a small tailback was forming with Reshad De Gerus, Victor Bernier, Nicky Hays, Hadrian David, Sten Van der Henst, caught up by Pierre-François Duriani.

Shortly after mid-race, De Gerus tried his luck on Henrion, but locked up the wheels and hit the unfortunate Hadjar who spun and lost the possibility of a podium. Bernier, David, and Hays moved up, before each succeeded with their attack on Valente. David’s final overtake on Bernier allowed the Championship leader to complete the podium and gain points on De Gerus, forced to return to the pits before the chequered flag. In 4th, Bernier clinched a major success in Junior. Hays was 5th, while Valente got the better of Henrion at the last moment. Then came Van der Henst, Duriani and the South African Stuart White in 10th position.

Estimated timetable of Race 3: Sunday 15th September from 10:50 to 11:15

Info FFSA Academy / © Photo KSP – Guillaume Veuve